5 Email Copywriting Tips

 

In this article, I’m going to share 5 email copywriting tips that will not only entice your readers to open and read your emails, but motivate them to click your links as well.

1. Start your email with a personal salutation.

   Starting with a salutation that says “Dear John Smith” – a salutation that big companies use when sending out business letters – will only make your email sound stiff and impersonal. You can create a better bond with your readers if you start with “Hi John” or “Hey John”. This will allow you to connect with your subscribers on a more personal level.

2. Write in a conversational tone.

   Write as if you are writing to a friend. “I’m writing to you in relation to…” and “In regards to our upcoming appointment…” sound stuffy and pretentious, so refrain from using them.

   A great way to determine whether you are taking a casual tone in your email is to read it back to yourself once you’re done writing. If it doesn’t sound like how you would usually talk with a friend, then rewrite it so that it will sound more conversational.

3. Keep your email brief and direct to the point.

   We now live in a microwave society where most people’s attention span is much shorter. People don’t have time to read long emails, so keep them short and straight to the point.

   Use 2-3 line paragraphs, if possible. Long-winded paragraphs can easily lose the attention of your readers, causing them to stop reading your email.

4. Clearly state what you want the reader to do.

   While many people make the mistake of writing emails that ask their readers to do multiple different things, others send emails that do not ask them to do anything at all. This is one of the most common email marketing mistakes that many individuals and companies make that can lead readers to wonder why they bothered to read the email at all.

   Do use a clear call to action. A call to action could be to call you, reply to your email, or even click on a link to your website and buy something. Tell them exactly what you want them to do instead of just leaving it to their imagination.

   If you want the reader to click on a link, for example, insert your link in the beginning and at the end of your email.

5. Always send plain text emails as opposed to HTML emails.

   This is perhaps the most overlooked of all email copywriting tips. A lot of individuals and companies like to send HTML emails as they are visually appealing. Some of the most popular email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail, however, block images in HTML emails unless the reader clicks a particular button. Most people miss that button, making your email unreadable.

   Plain text emails, on the other hand, can always be read. They are easy and simple to create, and they have a higher chance of getting read compared to HTML emails.

   Keep these email copywriting tips in mind when preparing emails and get the most out of your email marketing campaigns.